Cristhian Rivera, aka Christian Rivera, has already been charged with the murder of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, so we’re not quite sure what this supposed revelation will accomplish in the long run … but Rivera’s lawyer is claiming today that Rivera is, in fact, in here legally:
https://twitter.com/JessicaHuseman/status/1032347276822364160
More from the Des Moines Register:
The government is incorrectly promoting the idea that Rivera is not in Iowa legally, attorney Allen Richards of Tama said in a court document asking for a gag order in the case.
“Sad and sorry Trump has weighed in on this matter in national media which will poison the entire possible pool of jury members,” Richards wrote, referencing a statement from the president citing Tibbetts’ death as an example why “immigration laws are such a disgrace.”
Rivera has lived in Iowa for four to seven years, working at Yarrabee Farms, a Brooklyn-area farm owned by Eric Lang, the brother of Craig Lang, a prominent Republican.
Craig Lang has verified that Rivera is in Iowa legally, according to Richards’ motion.
wooooooooooooow https://t.co/0fnMhqdPw2
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 22, 2018
This is officially very confusing. For what it’s worth, Rivera reportedly got his job at Yarrabee farms after using a stolen ID to pass the E-Verify* background check:
Rivera was in the country illegally and appears to have used a stolen identification to satisfy a federal immigration background check by his employer through the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system, a law enforcement official told The Washington Post.
(*See updates to this post below.)
Also, Rivera wasn’t just some random guy working on a farm. He confessed to stalking Mollie Tibbetts and has been charged with first-degree murder after her brutal death.
The defendant's lawyers will say a lot of things. That doesn't make them true.
Homeland Security will be the last word on the guy's immigration status. https://t.co/szbx1fOz9K
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 22, 2018
One thing’s for sure:
Now we'll find out who actually gives a damn about her. https://t.co/W8eH3D2urK
— Nathan, son of Robert (@NathanWurtzel) August 22, 2018
When all is said and done, this is about a young woman who was savagely murdered. She deserves justice. Hopefully she’ll get it.
***
Update:
Welp:
https://twitter.com/TomNamako/status/1032367658514112512
https://twitter.com/TomNamako/status/1032368147452416000
Huh.
Lawyer for suspect in Mollie Tibbetts killing says he was working in the US legally.
ICE officials say he’s “an illegal alien from Mexico” and US Citizenship & Immigration Services officials say they have “found no record in our systems indicating he has any immigration status." https://t.co/w0zhhS5txl
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 22, 2018
Lawyer for Christhian Rivera trying to muddy the waters?
Lawyer didn’t prove in court docs Rivera was here legally — just cites Rivera’s employer, who said Tues he was vetted via E-Verify. But Weds, employer retracted statement and said did NOT use E-Verify, per @JasonClayworth
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 22, 2018
Guess we’ll know for sure soon enough.
https://twitter.com/TomNamako/status/1032368300867514368
That much is clear.
***
Update:
How do you like that? The tweet from Pro Publica politics reporter Jessica Huseman that helped get this latest ball rolling has disappeared (we still have it above). Disappeared as in memory-holed, without explanation. Wonder why she’d do that.
Boy the Resistance sure got excited about a defense lawyer's claim, and now the sound of tweets being deleted echo in the distance.
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) August 22, 2018
***
Update:
More:
USCIS official on Cristhian Bahena Rivera: "We have found no record in our systems indicating he has any lawful immigration status."
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 22, 2018
Earlier, Rivera's lawyer said he was in the country legally but offered no specifics.
USCIS now says they have no records indicating he has any status. https://t.co/sNNuO0iQSk
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 22, 2018
Co-owner of dairy just said that they did not run Rivera through E-verify — they ran him through social security administration's employment verification service.
They also said that he "was not who he said he was." https://t.co/NAg9nKkMot
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 22, 2018
I've gotten some questions on whether Rivera had any "work authorization."
USCIS official tells me that they have no record of Rivera — and that includes any work authorization documents. https://t.co/sNNuO0iQSk
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 22, 2018
Since the attorney's filing saying Rivera was in the country legally:
Co-owner of dairy he worked at says Rivera "was not who he said he was."
USCIS says they have no records indicating he has any lawful status or work authorization documents.
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 22, 2018
The employers of the man charged with killing Mollie Tibbetts clarified today that they DID NOT use E-Verify to confirm his immigration status. https://t.co/8P9CyENKrc pic.twitter.com/c8kf4GNIrK
— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) August 22, 2018
Farm that hired Cristhian Rivera, Mollie Tibbetts' suspected killer, did not use E-Verify system, official says. https://t.co/yv6jcWcjdf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 22, 2018
From Fox News:
However, Yarrabee Farms co-owner and manager Dane Lang clarified Tuesday afternoon that the farm did not use a federal E-Verify check on suspect Cristhian Rivera, despite the company’s claim earlier in the day that it did.
Lang said Rivera provided a state-issued photo identification and social security card. “We learned that our employee was not who he said he is.”
Yikes.
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/1032403673442394112
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